Texas chain Buc-ee’s sues Ohio company Mickey’s over mascot, name

Buc-ee's filed a lawsuit against the Ohio-based convenience store and gas station chain Mickey's (formerly Mickey Mart) owner, Coles IP Holdings, LLC, last week, claiming the mascot is too similar to the Texas chain.

According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Buc-ee’s is suing for trademark infringement and unfair competition. The Lone Star State-originated travel stop giant is also trying to cancel Coles IP Holdings' trademark registrations—a process that began in late 2025.

The Mickey's logo displays a smiling cartoon moose inside a red hexagon. Buc-ee's is arguing that the animalistic logo is too similar to the buck-toothed beaver donning a red baseball cap inside of a bright yellow circle. Both animals face to the right, with wide eyes and smiles, Buc-ee's argues in court records.

“Mickey Mart’s unauthorized use of Buc-ee’s logos is likely to cause confusion among consumers,” the Texas-based giant asserts in court documents. “Consumers are likely to perceive it as a connection or association as to the source, sponsorship or affiliation of the parties' products and services, when in fact none exists, given the similarity of the parties' logos, trade channels and consumer bases.”

Buc-ee’s qualms aren’t just with the mascot itself; it also takes issue with the name that the Ohio-based chain is transitioning to, “Mickey’s,” claiming it “closely resembles” the Buc-ee’s trademark.

A member of Buc-ee’s legal team, Jeff Nadalo, said the Texas-based chain would not “stand idly by while other infringe upon the intellectual property rights it has worked tirelessly to build and protect.”

Buc-ee's is no stranger to litigation. In May 2025, the Texas-expanded chain sued three apparel brands: a South Carolina conservative apparel brand, Born United; Owl & Anchor, an Arizona-based brand; and Prometheus Esoterica, a Florida-based brand.

As of Wednesday, all three lawsuits remain open. Court documents indicate that Buc-ee's is claiming Born United used its beaver mascot in several designs, titled "Tac-Bucc," which features the beloved furball instead holding a gun and wearing tactical gear. The merchandise featuring such depictions is no longer available on the Born United Website.

Like the case against Born United, Buc-ee's argued that Owl & Anchor used its beaver in various merchandise designs, including stickers. The company filed for bankruptcy in late August.

Similar trademark infringement is at the core of Buc-ee's filing against Prometheus Esoterica, with the chain saying the Florida-based shop used the beaver mascot on T-shirts and stickers without permission. In a move akin to Born United's, Prometheus Esoterica's website no longer features such products.

These are not the only lawsuits that challenge similarities in branding. Buc-ee's filed lawsuits in April 2025, January 2025, November 2024, July 2023, 2018 and March 2013 over such claims.